Join us for Suffolk County’s annual Spring Gardening School on Saturday, April 14, 2018, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Organized by Master Gardener Volunteers for the last 36 years, this beloved event kicks off the growing season for hundreds of gardeners who gather together for a day of learning and fun.

Spring Gardening School 2018 will be held at the Riverhead Middle School in Riverhead, NY. All classes are taught by Master Gardener Volunteers and Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators. The day consists of workshops held during three sessions and offers classes for beginners to advanced gardeners. This year a keynote address on “The High Line: Lessons for Your Garden” will be presented by Roxanne Zimmer Ph.D., Master Gardener Volunteer from Peconic.

You can sign up for such classes as School & Community Gardens 101, Gardening in Deer Country, Edible Landscaping, Gardening in Small Spaces, and many, many more. This year, you can choose to create hands-on take home projects such as Botanic Art (see project below), Nature’s Colors in Your Hands (plant dyes), Make & Bake Herb Bread & Butter, Floral Arranging, and The Art of Bonsai.

The fee to attend is $65 per person ($60 early bird, before March 1st), which includes free soil pH testing, a plant diagnostic clinic, gardening exhibits, and an early plant sale from some of the finest nurseries on Long Island; continental breakfast, delicious boxed lunch, raffles, and door prizes. Pre–registration is mandatory; first come is first served.

Classes fill quickly! Download the brochure here which has the registration form to mail back to us. We look forward to seeing you there!

Keep your gardens alive with color through the winter by attracting songbirds to your yard.  Feeding birds throughout the winter not only benefits the birds, but is a great hobby for gardeners to keep us active and engaged with the outdoors. Heavy winter snow events can cover up much of bird’s natural food sources, forcing them to seek out what humans may have left out for them.

Downy Woodpecker, photo by Sandra Vultaggio

There is nothing quite like seeing a bright red Cardinal against a snowy backdrop. When feeding birds, you can try to be specific as to which birds you would like to attract, or very simply provide a mixed seed which will attract an array of birds. Different feeders are attractive to some types of birds, while discouraging others, and specific foods and seeds will attract some birds and not others.

Northern Cardinal, photo by Sandra Vultaggio

Hard wire mesh feeders are attractive, often painted with bright colors and will attract many of your smaller, clinging birds like Chickadees, Nuthatches and Tufted Titmice. These are great for larger seed blends like black oil sunflower seeds and safflower seeds. They often stay stocked for a while since the birds need to pull seeds out individually. They also tend to leave the ground below much cleaner.

A platform feeder is great for any bird, but especially attractive to the larger birds: Blue Jays, Mourning Doves and Flickers. You will often find Dark-Eyed Juncos using these types of feeders as well. Any type of seed and nut mix will work well on these types of feeders. It’s fun to watch the individual personalities as the different species interact in the open space.

Hopper-type feeders are great for keeping seed fresh and protected from the elements. These are a great option if you don’t intend to go out to fill the feeders often, as they can hold quite a bit of food.

A popular food source for birds in winter is to provide suet. Suet is a high-energy food source that will attract woodpeckers. Peanut butter is also a great fatty food source. You can search for fun DIY feeder projects using peanut butter and seed that will be sure to attract lots of different hungry visitors.

Tufted Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch. Photo by Alice Raimondo

Ready for some real entertainment? Get yourself a peanut wreath. It is so much fun to watch the blue jays and squirrels bickering with each other trying to remove the peanuts from the spiral of wire.

Blue Jay under a peanut wreath, photo by Sandra Vultaggio

Prolonged freezing temperatures can make water sources scarce, so providing fresh water is a surefire way to attract birds and other wildlife to the yard. Often times you’ll attract a more diverse set of species with water than you would with seed. You can provide a fresh water source all winter long if you purchase a water de-icer or an ice-free birdbath. These contraptions do not heat the water, but simply keep the water from freezing – typically down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the quality re-icers on the market need to be plugged in and generally cost $1-2 per month to run, depending on how cold the weather is.

Eastern Bluebirds enjoying a heated birdbath. Photo by Alice Raimondo

When you feed birds outside, you may quickly find that the larger predatory birds are just as hungry as the songbirds. Hawks will often perch in high trees near feeders, waiting for an unsuspecting dove. For this reason, it may be a good idea to hang feeders near shrubs or other brush material so the birds will have quick access to shelter if needed. In the same way, be aware that feral cats have a way of staking out backyard birdfeeders.

Sometimes you do not have to invest any money at all to attract birds to your yard throughout the winter. You can simply provide habitat for them by minimizing your fall cleanup. Leaving sticks and other small debris lying about for wildlife to pick up and use as needed. Or pile up larger branches and debris in a discrete corner of the yard where wildlife can use it as shelter through the winter Allow spent flower heads to stand throughout the winter for finches to pick through. Consider leaving the dried stalks of ornamental grasses to stand all winter to provide habitat and shelter for wildlife and insects. In the spring, birds will often take pieces of the grasses to assemble their nests.

Following some of these tips will ensure that looking out of your window in the winter will not just make you long for springtime, but appreciate the beauty that each season brings us.

Black-Capped Chickadee, photo by Sandra Vultaggio

by Sandra Vultaggio, CCE Suffolk Horticulture Consultant

It’s that time of year again, when we either give or receive plants as gifts and tirelessly try to keep them healthy throughout the year in hopes they may bloom once again. Because these plants are grown specifically for the holiday season, there are some tips and techniques you can use to keep them from ending up in the compost bin and looking beautiful year-round.

The poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is a popular potted plant at this time of year, providing color throughout the holiday season. Newer poinsettia cultivars are long-lasting in contrast to those available a few years ago. When purchased, poinsettias should be in prime condition, should be well shaped plants with dark green foliage and bracts free from defects.

To care for Poinsettia, soil should be kept moist at all times, but not excessively wet. Water when the soil begins to feel dry and apply enough to the surface until it runs through the drainage hole. For best results, do not allow foliage to wilt between watering. Keep poinsettias away from cold drafts and excessive heat, otherwise this may cause foliage and bracts to wilt from rapid water loss.

Poinsettias are among the most difficult plants to re-bloom in the home. To learn more about propagating poinsettia and proper care for re-bloom next year, our fact sheet on “Care of Holiday Plants” includes more information on Christmas Cactus, Cyclamen and other blooming holiday plants available this time of year.

Adapted from Resource The Selection, Care, and Use of Plants in the Home, by Charles C. Fischer and Raymond T. Fox, Cornell University, 1/90.

Applications for the 2018 Master Gardener Volunteer training course are now being accepted!

Anyone who enjoys gardening and has a desire to learn and share their knowledge and skills can apply. Participants receive research-based instruction during the course of the training and upon graduation, Master Gardeners give back and share their knowledge though community service, projects and educational outreach.

For more information, contact Donna Alese Cooke, Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at dalesecooke@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x225. Application materials can be downloaded at: http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening/master-gardener-volunteers.

Applications are due by October 31, 2017, and can be emailed, mailed or faxed to 631-852-3205 attn: Donna Alese Cooke

Master Gardener Volunteers at the Children’s Garden at Suffolk County Farm

The perfect time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now. This Chinese proverb applies to many aspects of life including the creation, enhancement and maintenance of the landscape at the Wedge in Mt. Sinai.

The Wedge (Heritage Park and Heritage Center) was just a seed of an idea 20 years ago. In just a score of years, 18 acres of sod farm have been transformed into a “mini central park” cherished by many and envied by others. Volunteers, donors and local government have foraged a partnership to ‘grow’ a mix of passive and active recreational features at the Wedge. Contoured slopes, meandering walking paths, landscaped areas and gardens, a playground, putting green and three sports fields allow visitors to ease their minds, reflect, learn, enjoy, communicate, romp, run, walk and play. Add to these are the community and private events sponsored by the 501c3 Heritage Trust at the Heritage Center.

The 2017 crop of Master Gardeners toured the park in May. I enjoyed sharing information and experiences about the landscape and hardscape added to the Wedge by volunteers, scouts and local business. At the end of the tour I felt there was more to share about being a Master Gardener volunteer at the Wedge.

Any volunteer project will confront challenges (issues) like soil preparation, water supply, money, leadership, time, consensus building, short and long term maintenance, nurturing of personal rewards, and permission from and coordination with the powers that be. All have been experienced and are part of the ‘tree’ planted twenty years ago.

The playground and putting green are great family fun. Organized sports are played on the ball fields but it is not uncommon to see kids and adults engaged in “free play” or friends and families picnicking on the same fields. The play knoll is climbed by tots, rolled down in the summer and sledded down in winter. The park’s daffodil Smiley Face brings smiles to faces when 2,500 daffodils bloom.

The activity and landscape changes with the season but one constant is the use of the 0.7 mile perimeter path.  Kids, adults, families, friends, residents of group homes, people recovering from surgery or heart attacks walk, stroll, run, ride scooters, and learn to ride bikes on the path.

The park is so favored because of its openness, sense of safety, location, contours and landscape. The textures, colors and shapes of the landscape change with each season. The spring Master Gardener tour highlighted the following:

• Old Man’s Machine and Crop exhibit – Crop plots of grains, flax, potatoes and rows of lavender have a back drop of farm implements that were used to prepare soil, plant and harvest crops.

• Mt. Sinai Garden Club’s perennial and shade garden along with 8 community plots.
• Small pollinator garden and corn crib shed.
• Avenue of America mile sign post and the beginning of the Heritage Planet Walk.
• Avenue of America trees and location of Parade of American Flags. Selected state trees were described and a prize Gold Rush dawn redwood was admired. In 20 years all these trees will enrich visitor’s pleasure in the park.
• Court of America sitting area with a rock garden representation of the United States.  Aluminum edging forms the outline of the country, rocks represent mountains, shaped bluestone the Great Lakes and various plants vegetate the land (below). Presidential blocks border the 20’ x 14’ “map”.

• The blooms of the Patriotic Triangle symbolize the colors of our nation and the three sides and corner columns (Ionic and two Corinthian) represent the branches of government.
• The dawn redwood corner is developing into a low maintenance landscape. The Arkansas rose is the symbol of Iowa and North Dakota and Vinca, St. John’s Wort, Walkers Low and Liriope will suppress the growth of weeds. The tall redwood is still recovering from being transplanted eight years ago and someday will be 130 to 150 feet tall.
• A butterfly garden triangle is well established and has a bridge for the bridging ceremonies of local Girl Scout troops.
• A grass play knoll provides a high place to climb and enjoy the open space of the park. Families and friends picnic on the crest or watch kids roll or sled down the slopes.
• A new golf putting green is enhanced with a landscaped water feature.
• A Hinoki cypress maze has plant but will take time to establish. When opened it will complement the playground and putting green.
• The Four flags triangle is enhanced with shrubs and perennials.

People compliment and thank us for our volunteer work on the landscape and it is not uncommon for people to ask questions about what is planted. The last 20 years has been rewarding. The next 20 years will provide future master gardeners and other volunteer opportunities to enrich and maintain the Wedge. Visit the Wedge and say hello if you see us puttering in the park. Congratulate Fred when you see him, he has volunteered 40 years of community service for CCE Suffolk.

If you’d like to help please contact any of the below:

Fred Drewes; ave.america2010@verizon.net  631-473-6776

Heritage Trust; contact@heritagetrustmail.org:  631-509-0882

Walter Becker, Mt Sinai Garden Club; WBecker@WJBsales.com

Article written by Fred Drewes, Master Gardener Volunteer                

Photos courtesy of Valerie Bruno, Master Gardener Class of 2017

In a recent visit to the Teaching Gardens at Farmingdale State University, the Master Gardeners toured the beautiful gardens, learning first hand how changing climate conditions can affect how we garden. Plants and tropicals once only hardy to southern environments are now flourishing here on Long Island, and if conditions are right, certain varieties may be able to successfully overwinter in the garden.

Farmingdale State Teaching Gardens, photo by Donna Alese Cooke

As gardeners continually adapt to changing weather patterns, they understand how these changes may impact our precious landscape and natural resources. Here are some simple steps the home gardener can take, as described by Professor David Wolfe from the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, to adapt to these changing climate conditions:

• Vary your plant selection and try new varieties that may be better suited to your changing climate. Select drought and heat tolerant plants that are resistant to diseases and insect pests.
• Consider shifting planting times: try planting cool-season crops earlier, to be harvested before the season heats up.
• Look for new weeds, pests and diseases that come as a result of a warmer climate.
• Be prepared to deal with both rainy and drought conditions: add organic matter to your soil. This will improve drainage in wet areas and retain water in drought-prone areas.

Wolfe also suggests various ways to reduce our carbon footprint, by strategically using fertilizers, storing carbon in soil, planting trees, and reducing fossil fuel use, and reducing, reusing and recycling disposable products.

You can learn more about Gardening in a Changing Climate at Wolfe’s page at http://blogs.cornell.edu/hort/2011/04/04/wolfe-gardeners-part-of-climate-change-solution/ and enroll in a new, free online course starting on September 11^th, “Climate Change Science, Communication and Action,” offered by Cornell University Civic Ecology.

Climate Change Science, Communication and Action is an online course designed for Extension Educators, Master Gardener Volunteers, state and local government, land trusts and other non-profits, and others interested in an introduction to climate change science and how to communicate effectively about this important topic. Participants will make new connections and share resources as part of an online network of Cornell University professionals, students, volunteers, and others interested in Climate Change Science.

On a local level, CCE Suffolk Community Horticulture has formed a local group of course participants, who will use what they learn from this course and apply it to our educational outreach and community needs. The course dates are September 11-October 1, 2017, and you can find the registration link below. Once registered, please contact dalesecooke@cornell.edu to be added to the Suffolk CCE Community Action group on Facebook, and to be informed of local meetings where we will meet as a group in Suffolk County.

Links:

Climate Change Science, Communication and Action Online Course Registration Link: https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe5/form/SV_d68I902D6SPzts1

Department of Horticulture: http://blogs.cornell.edu/hort/2011/04/04/wolfe-gardeners-part-of-climate-change-solution/

Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, where you can find your zone by ZIP code: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx

Submitted by Donna Alese Cooke, Community Horticulture Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk

CCE Suffolk will once again be offering a new class of Master Gardener Trainees. The next training course will take place every Wednesday, 10am-4pm from January 17 through May 30. Weekly lectures and hands-on learning will take place at various locations in addition to our Extension Education Center, CCE Suffolk, 423 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead.

What do Master Gardeners do? Master Gardener Volunteers receive research-based instruction during the course of the training, and continue to be kept current through ongoing experiential learning and advanced training. In return, they agree to share their knowledge though community service and educational outreach.

Volunteers become Certified Master Gardeners for CCE Suffolk after completing the training course and volunteering 125 hour of service. CCE Suffolk’s Master Gardener Volunteer Program is directly linked to Cornell University as part of its National Land-Grant College charter, which provides a valuable connection to state-of-the-art gardening knowledge.

Each year hundreds of these service-minded folks from Suffolk County:

• Organize a Spring Gardening School for the public, including workshops, exhibits, and a plant sale
• Table with gardening information at community events
• Cultivate the land and teach youth at the Children’s Garden at Suffolk County Farm
• Design and help maintain community beautification projects, demonstration gardens, community gardens, and school gardens
• Offer gardening talks and classes at public libraries, schools, and  interested groups
• Create and participate in programs for senior citizens, youth, and the physically and mentally challenged
• Teach the proper care of lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowers, and how to grow fruits and vegetables
• Install exhibits and provide gardening information at flower shows and events
  

  MG Volunteers at the Children’s Garden at Suffolk County Farm

Anyone who enjoys gardening and has a desire to learn and share their knowledge and skills can apply to the 2018 Master Gardener Training Class. The cost of this comprehensive gardening course is $375 with an additional $125 deposit. The deposit is refundable, upon completion of 125 hours of volunteer service. Download the application here.

You can find more information about our Master Gardener Program and download application materials at: http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening/master-gardener-volunteers.

Donna Alese Cooke is the Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at dalesecooke@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x225.©

Tick season is in full swing, and CCE’s Horticulture Diagnostic Lab answers questions daily with regard to ticks. While our lab does not test ticks, we do identify them. Why would this be a valuable service? I will answer this question and dispel many of the myths or fallacies associated with ticks here in this article.

Fiction: If a tick is tiny, then it’s a deer tick. Why would I need it identified?

Fact: Deer ticks, also known as blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are significantly smaller than American Dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis), however you should not use size as an identification feature. Lone Star ticks, Amblyomma americanum are also quite small, particularly the immature stage known as the nymph. Note photo 1 which shows a nymph lone star tick with a ball point pen tip, and photo 2, which compares the nymph of the deer tick (on the left, with missing mouthparts) with the nymph of the lone star tick (on the right).

Photo 1

Photo 2

Ticks also change in size considerably when they have been feeding. Note photo 3, of a lone star nymph on the left which had only started to feed in comparison to one partially engorged on the right.

Photo 3

Fiction: Only lone star ticks have the white spot so without a spot it’s a deer tick.

Fact: While it is true that the adult female Lone Star tick does have the conspicuous white spot on the scutum, or shield; the larvae, nymph and adult male Lone Star ticks do not have this spot. See photos 4 and 5 for the comparison of the adult female and the adult male. Be sure that if you are using the white spot as a feature to identify the tick that the scutum is clearly visible so that you have the tick oriented correctly and are viewing the dorsal or back of the tick. We often see ticks which are partially or fully engorged have a whitish area in the gut on ventral or belly side of the tick.

Photo 4

Photo 5

Fiction: I can prevent ticks by spraying the yard for ticks.

Fact: While spraying for ticks can lower numbers for a short period of time following application, animal movement into the property will move ticks into the property, and applications for the most part work until the pesticide dries. There are some organic materials that may offer some efficacy as a short term repellent. Excluding large mammals from your property by fencing will ultimately reduce tick numbers. The New York State Department of Health suggests the following precautions to reduce tick populations;

• Keep grass mowed.
• Remove leaf litter, brush and weeds at the edge of the lawn.
• Restrict the use of groundcover, such as pachysandra in areas frequented by family and roaming pets.
• Remove brush and leaves around stonewalls and wood piles.
• Discourage rodent activity. Clean up and seal stonewalls and small openings around the home.
• Move firewood piles and bird feeders away from the house.
• Manage pet activity; keep dogs and cats out of the woods to reduce ticks brought into the home.
• Use plantings that do not attract deer (contact your local Cooperative Extension or garden center for suggestions) or exclude deer through various types of fencing.
• Move children’s swing sets and sand boxes away from the woodland edge and place them on a wood chip or mulch type foundation.
• Trim tree branches and shrubs around the lawn edge to let in more sunlight.
• Adopt dryer or less water-demanding landscaping techniques with gravel pathways and mulches. Create a 3-foot or wider wood chip, mulch, or gravel border between lawn and woods or stonewalls. Consider areas with decking, tile, gravel and border or container plantings in areas by the house or frequently traveled.
• Widen woodland trails.

Fiction: I pulled the tick out before it burrowed under the skin.

Fact: Ticks do not burrow under the skin. They insert their specially designed mouthpart called a hypostome into the skin to feed. This is the only part of the tick that actually breaks the skin. In addition to the hypostome, they inject a cementing agent into the site to help them stay attached while they are feeding. To fully feed, to the point of engorgement, ticks feed for 2-7 days depending on the life stage of the tick (larvae, nymph, or adult).

Fiction: My doctor told me to come to the Horticulture Diagnostic Lab and have it tested for Lyme’s.

Fact: The Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Diagnostic Lab does not test ticks for any disease pathogen. We can however identify ticks. Different ticks vector for different diseases. For a $11.00 lab fee we can tell you the species of tick, the life stage, if it had been feeding, the condition of the hypostome (which if broken off may still be in the skin and could potentially cause local infection), and will provide you information regarding what sort of diseases your particular tick could carry, symptoms of the various diseases, and general timeframe as to when symptoms would occur following a tick bite.

Fiction: The best way to remove a tick is to apply hand soap, Vaseline, nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol to the tick and then it will come off.

Fact: According to the New York State Department of Health, the best way to remove a tick is to grasp the tick near the mouth parts as close to the skin as possible from the side with a good pair of tweezers, and pull the tick in a steady upward motion away from the skin, and it should release. Applying anything to the tick that may irritate it to help it “let go” should be avoided as this can cause the tick to regurgitate its gut contents into your skin thereby increasing your chances of contracting a disease.

Fiction: The tick I had on my scalp must have fallen out of the trees in the woods.

Fact: Ticks found higher up on your body such as your scalp most likely crawled up there from your ankles or lower legs. Ticks are found in grasses and low growing vegetation so walking through these areas is how ticks are acquired. Most ticks are on vegetation no more than 1-2’ off the ground. If you have long hair it should be put up before yard work or gardening in areas where ticks are likely so that hair to ground contact does not occur.

Fiction: The tick I had was not a deer tick so that means I’m safe.

Fact: Not true! All ticks potentially carry disease. A tick that is not a blacklegged or deer tick could potentially carry human monocytic ehrlichiosis or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, so it’s still a good idea to be on the lookout for symptoms, and certainly contact your physician for additional medical advice. For more information about tick biology including diseases and symptoms take a look at our fact sheet on the website at the following link; https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.cornell.edu/attachments/5841/Tick_Biology_For_The_Homeowner.pdf?1421781733

Fiction: If I use a DEET repellent I should be protected from ticks.

Fact: While DEET repellents offer some protection from ticks, if you are going to be in wooded areas for extended periods of time you may have better success treating your skin with repellents of 30% or less DEET active ingredient, and applying permethrin type repellents to clothing or gear only. Permethrin is effective for two weeks or more if the clothing is not washed. As with all pesticides read all label directions before using. Tick repellents are not fool proof. The best way to be protected from tick bites is to check your lower body parts often when you are outdoors and do the “geek” thing; tuck your pant legs into your sock to make it more difficult for ticks to find your skin.

Now that you’ve learned a few things about ticks, pass the information along to friends, neighbors, family and doctors. Ticks are a part of our lives here on Long Island so remember to check yourselves after you’ve been in their territory. Ticks do not have to be the end of enjoying the great outdoors!

by Alice Raimondo, Horticulture Consultant, CCE Suffolk

Our Horticulture Consultants in the Diagnostic Lab are seeing common turfgrass problems that occur this time of year, Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) and Brown Patch (Rhizoctonia spp.). If you suspect your lawn may have one of these diseases, there are cultural control practices you can use to manage the problem.

Dollar Spot is indicative of the dead straw-colored spots about the size of a silver dollar and may persist from early summer until early fall. Its incidence seems to be higher in seasons with low rainfall and occurs on bluegrasses, bentgrasses, fescues, and zoysia. Symptoms depend largely on mowing practices. Under close mowing conditions the circular straw-colored spots are distinctly outlined in the early stages of disease development. With higher cutting heights, the bleached turf spots are irregularly shaped. In the early morning when dew is still on the grass, a white cobwebby growth of the fungus may be seen over the spot. To manage, mow grasses at the recommended maximum height. Try not to remove more than 1/3 of the leaf surface in any one mowing. Maintain adequate soil moisture, but avoid sprinkling in the late afternoon or evening, and do not overwater.

Dollar Spot

The patterns of symptoms for Brown Patch depends largely on cool vs. warm season grasses, mowing practices and moisture levels. On cool season grasses the symptoms produced by a Rhizoctonia sp. infection may vary depending on the maintenance practices. Under close mowing conditions, cool season grasses that are kept very wet produce small, blighted patches that appear quickly during optimum conditions. The patches may contain a purplish-gray border that is referred to as a “smoke-ring”. Cool season grasses that are cut high and kept dry may produce patches up to 30 cm in diameter. Cultural control recommendations include reducing thatch, removing dew from the leaf blades and providing good drainage conditions. Additionally, fertilizer applications should be monitored to ensure nitrogen levels are adequate but not excessive. Excessive nitrogen can increase disease occurrence and severity.

Brown Patch

To determine if your lawn has Brown Patch or Dollar Spot, you can call or submit a lawn sample to our Diagnostic Lab. Contact information and forms with instructions on how to submit soil samples and plant, insect, tick and lawn problems can be found at http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening/horticulture-diagnostic-labs

Photos courtesy of Tamson Yeh, Pest Management/ Turf Specialist, CCE Suffolk County. Article adapted from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Horticulture Diagnostic Lab fact sheets Dollar Spot on Turfgrass and Brown Patch on Turfgrass.

 With over two hundred certified CCE Suffolk Master Gardener Volunteers and new trainees participating in various garden projects and horticultural outreach, here is the first of many Volunteer projects to be featured in our blog in the coming months. Their dedication in keeping Suffolk County green and beautiful is demonstrated through the time and expertise they generously donate to Cooperative Extension and our communities.

The Master Gardener Volunteers have been busy preparing and maintaining the Children’s Garden at the Suffolk County Farm for our Summer Children’s Gardening program. This year’s program is well underway, and is a fun, hands-on program where children can enjoy gardening activities while learning about the natural world around them. Today, children learned all about seeds and square-foot gardening, and in the coming weeks will learn about growing flowers, vegetables and herbs, composting, weeds, insect pollinators, and how to save seeds.

photo courtesy of Anne Margolis, Master Gardener Class of 2014

photo courtesy of Anne Margolis, Master Gardener Class of 2014

All are welcome to stop by and stroll through the Children’s Garden when the Suffolk County Farm is open to the public. While you are there, check out my favorite, the newly installed whimsical “Fairy Farm” pictured below.

For more information about the Children’s Garden, or for resources on youth and school gardening, contact Donna Alese Cooke at dalesecooke@cornell.edu.